How do you integrate the Kanban method into your daily workflow and project management?

1 Choose a Kanban tool

The first step to integrate Kanban into your workflow is to choose a tool that suits your needs and preferences. There are many options available, from physical boards and sticky notes to online apps and software. The main features of a Kanban tool are the ability to create columns, cards, and labels to represent your work stages, tasks, and categories. You can also look for additional features such as due dates, checklists, comments, attachments, and integrations with other tools.

2 Define your workflow

The next step is to define your workflow, which is the process of how you deliver value to your customers, stakeholders, or yourself. Your workflow should reflect the reality of your work, not the ideal or expected one. You can start by identifying the main stages of your work, such as backlog, to-do, doing, done, or any other names that make sense to you. Then, create a column for each stage on your Kanban board and add cards for each task or project you have.

3 Limit your work in progress

One of the key principles of Kanban is to limit your work in progress (WIP), which means the number of tasks or projects you are working on at any given time. Limiting your WIP can help you reduce multitasking, distractions, and stress, and increase focus, quality, and efficiency. To limit your WIP, you can set a maximum number of cards for each column on your Kanban board and stick to it. If a column is full, you cannot start a new task or project until you finish or move one from that column.

4 Monitor and improve your flow

Another important principle of Kanban is to monitor and improve your flow, which means the speed and smoothness of how your tasks or projects move from one stage to another. Monitoring and improving your flow can help you identify and eliminate bottlenecks, waste, and delays, and optimize your value delivery. To monitor and improve your flow, you can use metrics such as cycle time, throughput, and lead time, and visualize them with charts such as cumulative flow diagrams, control charts, and scatter plots.

5 Prioritize and refine your work

Kanban also helps you prioritize and refine your work, which means to decide what tasks or projects are more important or urgent, and to break them down into smaller and manageable pieces. Prioritizing and refining your work can help you align your work with your goals, expectations, and feedback, and avoid overloading or underestimating your work. To prioritize and refine your work, you can use techniques such as MoSCoW, Eisenhower matrix, SMART, and user stories, and apply them to your cards and columns.

6 Collaborate and communicate with others

The final step to integrate Kanban into your workflow is to collaborate and communicate with others, which means to share your work, progress, and challenges with your team members, customers, or stakeholders, and to receive and give feedback, support, and recognition. Collaborating and communicating with others can help you improve your teamwork, accountability, and customer satisfaction, and learn from different perspectives and experiences. To collaborate and communicate with others, you can use features such as comments, mentions, notifications, and reports on your Kanban tool.